The University of Colorado Law School has a deep tradition of education and advocacy in Indigenous People鈥檚 Law and American Indian Law, drawing on both the legacy of 鈥渢he grandfather鈥� of modern American Indian Law, 1970 graduate Vine Deloria, Jr., and its connections with the (NARF) through former Dean David Getches and the late Professor Charles Wilkinson.听
听罢丑别 William A. Wise Law Library strives to support the Law School and its many programs, clinics, and centers. The Law Library is lucky to have a law librarian with decades of experience in Indigenous People鈥檚 Law to support the American Indian Law Program (AILP) here at Colorado Law.听
听听--听Collection Services and Research Librarian and Assistant Teaching Professor-- has both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Political Science, with a focus on how U.S. federal as well as international law impacts indigenous peoples. Her Masters鈥� thesis analyzed how seven countries handled indigenous issues in thirteen different subject areas. She spent a decade as a paralegal and then began her career as a law librarian in 2005, joining the Wise Law Library in 2013.听
听Throughout her career at Colorado Law, Prof. Policastri has supported the AILP, through orienting new AILP faculty to the Law Library, providing resources for AILP courses and clinics, and assisting both students and faculty with their research projects.听
鈥淚t is a real privilege to get to do the research for students and faculty and to support really fantastic people who are working at the UN to make a difference in the lives听of Indigenous peoples,鈥� Policastri said. 鈥淚 love helping them [AILP faculty and students] and I admire and respect what they do.鈥� 听
Prof. Policastri collaborates on ongoing projects with AILP faculty and graduate fellows as well as regional partners. For example, she is currently providing librarian assistance for , which seeks to foster awareness of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and partners with individuals and organizations interested in furthering Indigenous human rights. 听
The Implementation Project has released two resources over the past few years. The 听(2021), aims to assist tribal leaders, lawyers, and advocates in implementing the UN-Declaration.听罢丑别 second is T, published in 2024, to which Prof. Policastri provided research assistance. This guide intends to demystify the institution and give Indigenous leaders, lawyers, and community members the tools to get started in advancing their rights globally and at home.听
TIP recently presented the Guide at the National Congress of American Indians 81st Annual Convention & Marketplace. Professor and Sue Noe (Native American Rights Fund), Co-Directors of TIP, moderated a panel discussion at the event, which touched upon the guide as well as challenges and successes currently being experienced by Tribal nations. 听
TIP is currently working on numerous other projects to which Prof. Policastri continues to provide support. She shared that even seemingly small tasks 鈥� such as sending a quick article or answering a research question---benefit those at both TIP and the AILP. 听
鈥淭he latest project that I鈥檓 working on for TIP, along with AILP Fellow, Emiliano Salazar, is the development of a database of publication citations for the various publications produced by TIP,鈥� said Policastri.听鈥淭his involves creating the form and selecting the subjects, and then setting up ALERTS and entering the information into the database.鈥澨�
There is immense value for both students and faculty in utilizing the wealth of resources available at the Wise Law Library and in collaborating with the exceptionally knowledgeable librarians at Colorado Law. Prof. Policastri expressed her hope that, in the future, more faculty and library staff will work together as she does with the AILP. 听
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